A Level Computer Science 9618, topic 13.2
File organisation and access: past paper questions
21 Cambridge A Level Computer Science 9618 questions on File organisation and access (13.2) from 18 papers, 2023 to 2026. Open the paper or try a question free.
Practising builds a set from this topic, free with an account. One question opens straight away, with no account.
- Questions
- 21
- Papers
- 18
- Years
- 2023 to 2026
- Total marks
- 122
- Average per question
- 5.8 marks
- Largest question
- 9 marks
By type: Structured 21
How hard the questions are
- Recall0
- Apply15
- Analyse6
- Not banded0
Derived from the command word Cambridge prints in each question, banded by a fixed table beside the syllabus's own definitions. A question printing no command word is unbanded: unknown, not middling.
Command words
- describeApply13 questions
state the points of a topic / give characteristics and main features
- outlineApply7 questions
set out the main points
- explainAnalyse6 questions
set out purposes or reasons / make the relationships between things clear / say why and/or how and support with relevant evidence
- completeApply5 questions
add information to an incomplete diagram or table
- stateRecall4 questions
express in clear terms
- calculateApply3 questions
work out from given facts, figures or information
- useApply3 questions
- defineRecall1 question
give precise meaning
- findApply1 question
Where the questions come from
By year
- 20264
- 20253
- 20246
- 20238
By session
- May/June13
- Oct/Nov8
By paper
- Paper 321
Questions on this topic
Showing 17 of 21, spread across the years. Open one to write your answer and have it marked.
- Try this questionQuestion 2May/June 2026, paper 31Structured6 marks
Random file organisation can be used with a database management system. State one other example of where random file organisation could be used.
- Try this questionQuestion 12May/June 2025, paper 31Structured5 marks
The pseudocode algorithm checks whether a location in a stock file StockList.dat is empty or not. The location is given by the user. If the location is empty, a suitable message is displayed, otherwise the item stored at that location is displayed.
- Try this questionQuestion 5Oct/Nov 2024, paper 31Structured5 marks
Explain what is meant by a hashing algorithm in the context of file access.
- Try this questionQuestion 4Oct/Nov 2023, paper 31Structured6 marks
Describe sequential and random methods of file organisation.
- Try this questionQuestion 4May/June 2026, paper 32Structured6 marks
State one example of where sequential file organisation could be used.
- Try this questionQuestion 13May/June 2025, paper 32Structured5 marks
The pseudocode algorithm below uses random file access to copy 50 records from a live file CurrentResults.dat to a stored file StoredResults.dat one record at a time. It uses the user-defined type StudentResult.
- Try this questionQuestion 2Oct/Nov 2024, paper 32Structured3 marks
Describe serial file organisation as a method of storing data records in a file.
- Try this questionQuestion 3Oct/Nov 2023, paper 32Structured5 marks
The location of a record in a random file is determined using a hashing algorithm. A collision may occur during the process of adding a record. Outline what is meant by the term collision in this context.
- Try this questionQuestion 10May/June 2026, paper 32Structured9 marks
Two examples of searching algorithms are a linear search and a binary search. Describe how increasing the number of data items in the file to be searched affects the time efficiency of these search algorithms.
- Try this questionQuestion 11May/June 2025, paper 33Structured5 marks
The pseudocode algorithm below allows a user to input a new stock item. The random file is searched for the next empty location in the file and the new item is inserted there. A suitable message is displayed if the file is full.
- Try this questionQuestion 12Oct/Nov 2023, paper 32Structured9 marks
Describe, with an example, what is meant by an exception.
- Try this questionQuestion 3May/June 2026, paper 33Structured6 marks
State one example of where serial file organisation could be used.
- Try this questionQuestion 4May/June 2024, paper 31Structured5 marks
Describe the sequential method of file access.
- Try this questionQuestion 7May/June 2024, paper 32Structured6 marks
Outline what is meant by direct access as a method of file access.
- Try this questionQuestion 8Oct/Nov 2023, paper 33Structured8 marks
A pseudocode algorithm finds a customer account record in a random file and outputs it. The records are stored using the user-defined data type TAccount.
- Try this questionQuestion 3May/June 2023, paper 31Structured6 marks
A hashing algorithm is used to calculate storage locations for records in a random access file.
- Try this questionQuestion 2May/June 2023, paper 32Structured5 marks
Describe how records are organised and accessed in a sequential file.